DOCSLIB.ORG

Book Reviews

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Book Reviews JETS 54.4 (December 2011) 823–83 BOOK REVIEWS Christopher A. Rollston, Writing and Literacy in the World of Ancient Israel: Epigraphic Evidence from the Iron Age. Archaeology and Biblical Studies 11. Atlanta, SBL, 2010, xx + 171 pp., $21.95 paper. While there exist valuable scholarly collections of ancient Hebrew inscriptions (e.g. G. I. Davies, Renz and Röllig, Dobbs-Allsopps et al., Ahituv), to which one should add, at a more popular level, P. Kyle McCarter, Ancient Inscriptions (Washington: Biblical Archaeology Society, 1996), non-technical introductions to West Semitic epigraphy as a !eld, with its methods, results, and limits, remain scarce. Since J. Naveh, Early His- tory of the Alphabet (Jerusalem: Magnes, 1982), G. Garbini has written Introduzione all’epigra!a semitica (Brescia: Paideia, 2006), but it is essentially an overview of the various regional corpus, and already a lengthy and detailed book. It is all the more appreciable that a leading epigraphist such as Christopher Rollston has been willing to write a concise textbook on this fascinating subject. In addition to teaching at Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City, Tennessee, Rollston is editor for the journal MAARAV and has published valuable contributions to epigraphic research. The book is divided into two parts. In the !rst, concerning the question “broad tab- leau?” Rollston rapidly describes the traces we have of the earliest alphabetic system in the second millennium BC, as well as the Ugaritic cuneiform alphabet. Then he devotes more space to the stabilized and standardized Phoenician script, introducing among other items the royal Byblian inscriptions from the tenth century BC, and convincingly reasserting their conventional dating against recent attempts by B. Sass to postdate them. Following Naveh, Rollston argues that the Phoenician script was widely used in the Levant until distinctive national scripts developed from it during the ninth century (for Paleo-Hebrew) and eighth century (for Aramaic). Finally, in a pleasant and well- illustrated chapter, the main types of inscriptions are outlined mainly according to the material on which they were written, such as monumental stones, statues, pottery, papyri, and seals. The second part of the book explores the work of ancient scribes. In light of Meso- potamian, Egyptian, and biblical texts, Rollston underscores the high status of this profession in antiquity. Though avoiding the term “school” because it is often understood in too narrow a sense, he brilliantly demonstrates that “Israelite scribes were the re- cipients of formal, standardized education” (p. 113). He concludes that Israelites were certainly capable of producing “literature” in Iron Age IIA. However, when one sees his assertion that “elites in ancient Israel were writing during Iron Age IIA (900–800 BC)” (p. 134), one wonders whether he follows the “low chronology” (still rejected by a major- ity of archaeologists and recently modi!ed by I. Finkelstein himself) or whether 900 BC means the earliest date at which he can establish there was literature during Iron Age IIA (as seems to follow from his argumentation). In the last chapter, Rollston deals with the problem of the authenticity of items found in today’s antiquities market, trying to navigate between systematic acceptance and a priori rejection of them. Those already acquainted with Rollston’s publications will !nd here, gathered in a convenient synthesis, several ideas he has developed in scholarly articles, such as 824 !"#$%&' "( )*+ +,&%-+'./&' )*+"'"-./&' 0"/.+)1 54/4 his groundbreaking “Scribal Education in Ancient Israel: The Old Hebrew Epigraphic Evidence?” (BASOR 344 [2006] 47–74). Not surprisingly, some ideas presented in this book would not be shared by all epigraphists. There has already been a debate between Rollston and his Doktorvater (P. Kyle McCarter) about whether the script of the Tel Zayit abecedary is Phoenician or a sort of “South-Canaanite” precursor of Paleo-Hebrew (R. E. Tappy and P. Kyle McCarter, Literate Culture and Tenth-Century Canaan: The Tel Zayit Abecedary in Context [Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2008]). Regarding the literature in Iron Age Israel, Rollston makes an excellent case for its existence (at least) as early as the ninth century, contrary to a current trend among biblicists but standing with other competent epigraphists (e.g. A. Lemaire, A. Millard). It would have been interesting to discuss the case of the tenth century (even if one thinks that Israelites wrote them in Phoenician script), as well as the historical implications of the fact that Israel and Judah shared the same script. In spite of the presence of technical pages on Paleo-Hebrew paleography (pp. 97– 107), this work is well written and quite clear, perfectly suited for non-specialists pro- vided they have a rudimentary idea of the Hebrew alphabet. For somebody already interested in the topic, it is delightful reading. Not only is it the book I would recom- mend as an introduction to West Semitic epigraphy, but it would certainly be useful for many biblicists to read it, in a context where many of them draw hasty conclusions about the composition of the biblical texts without having a sound idea of the concrete work of ancient scribes. Matthieu Richelle Faculté Libre de Théologie Évangélique, Vaux-sur-Seine, France The Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation. By Richard Bauck- ham. Sarum Theological Lectures. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2010, xi + 226 pp., $24.95 paper. How should one understand the relationship between humanity and the rest of creation according to the Bible? In this book, Richard Bauckham criticizes the dominion model, the stewardship model, and even the priestly model as inadequate to account for the biblical teaching on this issue. Instead, he demonstrates from Scripture a portrait of humans as fellow creatures in a reciprocal relationship with the rest of creation, all of which is redeemed in Christ according to Col 1:15–20. Only when Christians begin to appreciate the whole witness of Scripture regarding the non-human creation will we think rightly about ecological concerns. Bauckham begins his survey with a look at the Torah. In his view, Genesis 1 has been misinterpreted to give humans a kind of control over creation that biblically belongs to God alone. “Subduing” is a reference to agriculture, “having dominion” means “partici- pating in God’s caring rule over his creatures” (p. 19), and the creation order does not suggest human authority any more than it suggests creeping things have authority over the birds. After a lengthy discussion of Genesis 1–2, Bauckham argues that the 2ood narrative shows the dire consequences of violence within creation and holds out Noah as a model of “the peaceable and caring relationship with animals that had been God’s creative ideal” (p. 24). Killing for food is also not God’s ideal but is a concession that is given with certain restrictions that are unfortunately ignored today. Furthermore, Israel’s land law demonstrates a regard for the rest of creation that is too often forgotten. *%+%,!%$ 2011 !""# $%&'%() 825 Chapter 2 focuses on Job 38–39, which powerfully gives the reader joy in and humil- ity toward God’s creation. Chapter 3 considers various biblical texts (e.g. Psalms 104; 148; Matt 6:25–33; Rom 8:18–23) that view humans as part of a theocentric “community of creation,” in which God alone is exalted and nature is neither divine nor secular, but sacred. In chapter 4, Bauckham counters the claim that the Bible promotes a negative view of wilderness, holding out the examples of Adam (“the -rst naturalist,” p. 130), Noah, and Jesus (who “was with the wild animals” in Mark 1:13) as counterevidence. In Chapter 5, Bauckham shows that Jesus’ redemption of “all things” includes nature (cf. Col 1:20), and argues that as we await the -nal reconciliation of all things, our present ministry must involve not only reconciliation to God but also reconciliation to all creation. Over the years, Bauckham has proven himself such an able scholar that one now expects his research not only to inform the reader but also to tear down faulty para- digms, and this book does not disappoint. In an age in which many in the church are surprisingly more reluctant than those outside the church to express ecological concern, Bauckham successfully demonstrates that this hesitance is rooted in Enlightenment thought that goes against the grain of Scripture. He exposes faulty interpretations of texts and introduces other passages that are typically unconsidered in regard to this subject. The person who thinks about non-human creation within a dominion or a steward- ship framework needs to read this book. Readers will not -nd speci-c instructions for applying this message but will encounter a solid biblical challenge to transform their way of thinking about the non-human creation. They will be pleased with Bauckham’s knowledge of the biblical text in its original context, and yet will not be burdened with the need to understand Hebrew or Greek or the cultural background of the biblical texts. At times Bauckham’s critique of modern culture is prophetic: “It is the exclusive focus on a vertical relationship to the rest of creation—whether it be called rule or dominion or stewardship or even priesthood—that has been one of the ideological driv- ing forces of the modern technological project of dominating nature” (p. 11). He also asserts, “Christians have been surprisingly slow to appreciate the connection between the modern world’s rejection of God and the ecologically disastrous modern project of technological conquest of nature” (p. 30). He stresses that “Jesus Christ is . the one who, through his resurrection . renews all things. Thus to see creation whole we must see it in relation to the cruci!ed and risen Jesus” (p.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Tuomas Havukainen: the Quest for the Memory of Jesus
    Tuomas Havukainen The Quest for the Memory of Jesus: A Havukainen Tuomas Viable Path or a Dead End? Tuomas Havukainen | This study is focused on the active international or a Dead End? Path Viable the Memory Quest for The of Jesus: A field of study in which various theories of mem- ory (e.g. social/collective memory and individual The Quest for the Memory of Jesus: memory) and ancient media studies (e.g. study A Viable Path or a Dead End? of oral tradition and history) are applied to historical Jesus research. The main purpose of the dissertation is to study whether the memory approach constitutes a coherent methodological school of thought. The dissertation discusses in what ways the memory approach distinguishes itself from earlier research and whether one can speak of a new beginning in historical Jesus research. A central focus of the study is the research-historical discussion on the nature and processes of the transmission of the Jesus tradi- tions in early Christianity, which is a significant research problem for both earlier historical Jesus research and the memory approach. | 2017 9 789517 658812 Åbo Akademi University Press | ISBN 978-951-765-881-2 Tuomas Havukainen (born 1988) Master of Theology (MTh) 2012, University of Wales Cover Photo: by Patrik Šlechta, September 11, 2014, from Pixabay.com. Photo licensed under CC0 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ https://pixabay.com/en/israel-path-dune-desert-499050/ Åbo Akademi University Press Tavastgatan 13, FI-20500 Åbo, Finland Tel. +358 (0)2 215 3478 E-mail: [email protected] Sales and distribution: Åbo Akademi University Library Domkyrkogatan 2–4, FI-20500 Åbo, Finland Tel.
    [Show full text]
  • Summary of Baird, History of New Testament Research Vol
    A SUMMARY OF HISTORY OF NEW TESTAMENT RESEARCH, VOL. 1–3 BY WILLIAM BAIRD VOLUME 1: FROM DEISM TO TÜBINGEN INTRODUCTION Baird introduces his book with a quick sketch of the history of NT research before the Enlightenment, as well as a brief word about the methodology of his book. His plan is that the volumes will investigate NT research in the modern age.1 Before the Enlightenment The early church dealt with the issue of the canon. They judged all of the books to be of apostolic authority. They moved between literal (Antiochene) and allegorical (Alexandrian) interpretation. They gradually agreed that the apostolic church had the exclusive right to interpret the scriptures.2 In the Middle Ages, people interpreted the Scripture according to the four levels of meaning: literal, allegorical, tropological (or moral), and anagogical. Thus, “in Gal. 4:24-25, ‘Jerusalem’ could properly be interpreted to mean the historical city in Judea (literally), the Christian church (allegorically), the human soul (morally), and the heavenly city (anagogically).”3 Some were aware of the potential to abuse, and gave priority to the literal sense (as with Aquinas, who said the three spiritual senses had to be rooted in the literal sense).4 During the Reformation, the Bible was placed at the forefront as the foundation for the Christian faith. The reformers were influenced by the exegetical methods of the Renaissance humanists. They inherited the technical methods that were used for the study of ancient literary works. Furthermore, they agreed that the only meaning Scripture has is the literal meaning. The Reformers attempted to return to a study of what the authors of Scripture meant.
    [Show full text]
  • Curriculum Vitae
    1 CURRICULUM VITAE NAME: Dale C. Allison, Jr. BIRTH: November 25, 1955, Wichita, Kansas HOME ADDRESS: 26 Library Place Princeton, N.J. 08542 OFFICE: Princeton Theological Seminary P.O. Box 821 Princeton, N.J. 08542 TELEPHONE: 609 924 1320 (home) 412 867 1343 (cell) 609 497 7976 (office) E-MAIL: [email protected] BOOKS 4 Baruch (Paraleipomena Jeremiou), Commentaries on Early Jewish Literature (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2018). Night Comes: Death, Imagination, and the Last Things (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016). A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle of James, International Critical Commentary (London/New York: Bloomsberry T. & T. Clark International, 2013), pp. xlix + 790. Editor, with (for various volumes) Christine Helmer, Volker Leppin, Bernard McGinn, Steven L. McKenzie, Choon-Thomas Römer, Leong Seow, Hermann Spieckermann, Barry Dov Walfish, and Eric Ziolkowski, Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, vols. 5-12 (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2012-2016). Constructing Jesus: Memory, Imagination, and History (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010; British edition by SPCK), pp. xxix + 588; paperback edition, 2013; selected as "Best Book Relating to the New Testament" for 2009-2010 by the Biblical Archaeology Society. The Historical Christ and the Theological Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009), pp. x + 126; translated into Italian as Cristo storico e Gesè teologico (Studi biblici 169; Brescia: Paideia Editrice, 2012). The Love There That's Sleeping: The Art and Spirituality of George Harrison (London/New York: Continuum, 2006); pp. viii + 168. 2 The Luminous Dusk (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006); pp. x + 178; revised and enlarged edition of The Silence of Angels (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1995).
    [Show full text]
  • When the Son of Man Didn't Come
    1 Introduction: Was Jesus Wrong About the Eschaton? Christopher M. Hays You are not supposed to be starting this book right now. Life, as we know it, is supposed to have ended. At least, according to Harold Camping. Apocalypse . Now? In the spring of 2011, Harold Camping became a household name. Former president of Family Christian Radio in California and host of the show “Open Forum,” Camping used his significant communications network to advertise his calculation that on May 21, 2011, Jesus would return to rapture the faithful and judge the world. His listeners responded in droves, donating tens of millions of dollars to spread 1 WHEN THE SON OF MAN DIDN'T COME the apocalyptic word through books and pamphlets in no fewer than 75 different languages.1 Five thousand billboards sprang up across the USA, proclaiming “Judgment Day May 21,” and emblazoned with a yellow seal of faux-authentication which certified the prediction: “The Bible Guarantees It.” This was not Camping’s first attempt at rapture prognostication. A couple of decades earlier, his book 1994?,2 published by a vanity press called Vantage, anticipated that the end of days would likely occur in September of the eponymous year. That set of dates enjoyed rather better circulation than did the ciphers he had adduced in the 1970s and 1980s, but even the interest in Camping’s 1994 forecasts paled in comparison to the enthusiasm he generated in early 2011.3 In contrast to Camping’s previous apocalyptic auguries, the 2011 campaign did some serious damage. People sold their homes, pulled their children out of school, and liquidated all their assets to support the end-of-the-world evangelization effort.
    [Show full text]
  • 2015-Academic.Pdf
    American Schools of Oriental Research | 2015 Annual Meeting November 18–21 | Atlanta, Georgia Academic Program 2015 ASOR Annual Meeting WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015 1B Remembering Sharon Zuckerman: The Southern Levant in the Bronze and Iron Ages 7:00–8:15pm Windsor B Plenary Address Theme: Dr. Sharon Zuckerman passed away at the end of November 2014, in the midst of her life. Sharon was a brilliant researcher and a Venetian Ballroom talented archaeologist. This session is dedicated to her memory and works. Susan E. Alcock (Brown University), “Stepping It Up (Like a Ziggurat): The Place of ASOR in the 21st Century?” CHAIR: Shlomit Bechar (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Presiding PRESENTERS: 8:15–10:00pm 8:20 Introduction (5 min.) 8:25 Matthew J. Adams (W. F. Albright Institute of Opening Reception Archaeological Research), “The Archaeology of Windsor C & Pre-Function Abandonment at EB I–II Megiddo” (15 min.) 8:45 Shlomit Bechar (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), “The Late Bronze Age Administrative Palace at Tel Hazor” (15 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2015 min.) 9:05 Jesse Millek (Universität Tübingen), “Destruction 8:20–10:25am and Egyptian Hegemony in the Southern Levant: An Examination of ‘Egyptian’ Sites Destroyed at the End of the Late Bronze Age” (15 min.) 1A The History of Archaeology Windsor A 9:25 Jennie Ebeling (University of Evansville) and Danny Rosenberg (University of Haifa), “Late Bronze Age and Iron Age Basalt Vessel Industries at Hazor: Is There a CHAIR: Danielle Steen Fatkin (Knox College), Presiding Connection?” (15 min.) PRESENTERS: 9:45 Ayelet Gilboa (University of Haifa), Ilan Sharon (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), and Paula Waiman-Barak 8:20 Joseph Greene (Harvard University), “David Gordon Lyon (University of Haifa), “Contextualizing the Wenamun and the Beginnings of ‘Biblical Archaeology’ at Harvard” Report: Dor and Egypt in the Early Iron Age” (15 min.) (20 min.) 10:05 Irene J.
    [Show full text]
  • He Takes Back the Ticket . . . for Us: Providence, Evil, Suffering, and the Vicarious Humanity of Christ Christian Kettler Friends University, [email protected]
    Journal for Christian Theological Research Volume 8 Article 4 2003 He Takes Back the Ticket . For Us: Providence, Evil, Suffering, and the Vicarious Humanity of Christ Christian Kettler Friends University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/jctr Part of the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Kettler, Christian (2003) "He Takes Back the Ticket . For Us: Providence, Evil, Suffering, and the Vicarious Humanity of Christ," Journal for Christian Theological Research: Vol. 8 , Article 4. Available at: http://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/jctr/vol8/iss2003/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal for Christian Theological Research by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Journal for Christian Theological Research 8 (2003) 37–57 He Takes Back the Ticket…For Us: Providence, Evil, Suffering, and the Vicarious Humanity of Christ Christian D. Kettler Friends University 1. The dilemma is stated well by Ivan in Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. In his argument with his saintly brother Alyosha, Ivan makes it clear that he is all too aware of the absurdity of believing in the providence of God in a world of needless suffering, especially the suffering of children. So, in disgust, he returns the ticket of “eternal harmony” to God. 2. Do we dare keep the ticket ourselves today? How can we do that in all honesty? My proposal, building upon Karl Barth’s argument that providence should proceed from Christology, considers the biblical emphasis of what T.
    [Show full text]
  • Evangelicals and the Synoptic Problem
    EVANGELICALS AND THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM by Michael Strickland A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Theology and Religion School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion University of Birmingham January 2011 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Dedication To Mary: Amor Fidelis. In Memoriam: Charles Irwin Strickland My father (1947-2006) Through many delays, occasioned by a variety of hindrances, the detail of which would be useless to the Reader, I have at length brought this part of my work to its conclusion; and now send it to the Public, not without a measure of anxiety; for though perfectly satisfied with the purity of my motives, and the simplicity of my intention, 1 am far from being pleased with the work itself. The wise and the learned will no doubt find many things defective, and perhaps some incorrect. Defects necessarily attach themselves to my plan: the perpetual endeavour to be as concise as possible, has, no doubt, in several cases produced obscurity. Whatever errors may be observed, must be attributed to my scantiness of knowledge, when compared with the learning and information necessary for the tolerable perfection of such a work.
    [Show full text]
  • A Proto-Canaanite (Early Alphabetic) Inscription
    The Jerubba‘al Inscription from Khirbet al-Ra‘i: A Proto-Canaanite (Early Alphabetic) Inscription Christopher Rollston1, Yosef Garfinkel2, Kyle H. Keimer3, Gillan Davis4, Saar Ganor5 1 George Washington University [email protected] 2 Hebrew University of Jerusalem [email protected] 3 Macquarie University, Sydney [email protected] 4 Macquarie University, Sydney [email protected] 5 Israel Antiquities Authority [email protected] Abstract This article presents a Proto-Canaanite inscription written in ink on a jug. It was unearthed in 2019 at Khirbet al-Ra‘i, located 4 km west of Tel Lachish, in a level dated to the late twelfth or early eleventh century BCE. Only part of the inscription had survived, with five letters indicating the personal name Yrb‘l (Jerubba‘al). This name also appears in the biblical tradition, more or less in the same era: “[Gideon] from that day was called Yrb‘l” (Judg. 6:31–32). This inscription, together with similar inscriptions from Beth-Shemesh and Khirbet Qeiyafa, contributes to a better understanding of the distribution of theophoric names with the element ba‘al in the eleventh–tenth centuries BCE in Judah. KEYWORDS: Proto-Canaanite inscription, Jerubba‘al, Khirbet al-Ra‘i Christopher Rollston, Yosef Garfinkel, Kyle H. Keimer, Gillan Davis and Saar Ganor, 2021. The Jerubba‘al Inscription from Khirbet al-Ra‘i: A Proto-Canaanite (Early Alphabetic) Inscription. Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology 2: 1–15. ISSN: 2788-8819; https://doi.org/10.52486/01.00002.1; https://jjar.huji.ac.il 1 Rollston et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Parallel Sessions
    Audio CD / DVD-ROM Personal and Social Ethics Spiritual Formation/Sanctification ___ EV09021 Ashish Varma – Sin, Grace, and Virtue Open Section Order Form in Calvin: A Matrix for Dogmatic Consideration Moderator: Steve Porter ___ EV09022 Steven Boyer – Aslan Tamed: C. S. ___ EV09047 Darrell Cole – The Role of Moral Virtue Entire 2009 Conference MP3 Lewis’s Social Vision and the Spirit of the Age in Calvin’s Theology of Sanctification DVD-ROMs (2) for Only $199.00 ___ EV09023 Jason Maston – The Necessity of the ___ EV09048ab John Coe – Spiritual Theology: Spirit to Live Righteously (Romans 7:7-8:13) Bridging the Sanctification Gap for the Sake of the ___ EV09024 Jason Poling – Unequally Yoked: Paul’s Church (2 CDs - $14) Ethos of (Economic) Complementarianism st Creation 61 Annual Meeting Of The Baptist Studies Consultation Evangelical Theological Society Open Session Moderator: John Bloom Moderator: Michael Haykin ___ EV09051 William Barrick – Noah’s Flood: A Personal & Social Ethics ___ EV09025 Jason K. Lee – General Baptist Origins: Globally Geologically Catastrophic Event Nov. 18-20, 2009 New Orleans LA John Smyth and the Spiritual Life, ca. 1609 ___ EV09052 Todd Beall – The Biblical Flood Audio CDs Are $7.00 Each ___ EV09026 Tom Nettles – The Particular Baptist Account in Light of its Ancient Near Eastern Context Defense of Beginning Anew and Other Pagan Flood Stories Qty Session # Title/Speaker(s) ___ EV09027 Paige Patterson – Genetics versus ___ EV09053 Paul Seely – Noah’s Flood: Localized in Historiography: A Case for the Connection of the Mesopotamian Valley Continental Anabaptism and Contemporary Baptists ___ EV09054 Mod.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tel Zayit Abecedary and Putative Evidence for Israelite Literacy
    00-Tappy-Tel_Zayit.book Page 61 Saturday, September 13, 2008 10:23 AM The Phoenician Script of the Tel Zayit Abecedary and Putative Evidence for Israelite Literacy Christopher A. Rollston Emmanuel School of Religion, a Graduate Seminary Literacy: Ancient and Modern The definition of literacy for antiquity (and modernity) is the subject of substantial debate. Some suggest that in “oral cultures” the capacity to use language (that is, the spoken word) in a functional or sophisticated man- ner constitutes literacy. However, some wish to argue that literacy is a term that is to be understood as referring to the ability to read and write texts. Occasionally, there are those who propose that functional literacy be de- fined as just the capacity to write one’s name. The United Nations Educa- tional Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has produced the following minimalist definition for the contemporary period: “Literacy is the ability to read and write with understanding a simple statement related to one’s daily life. It involves a continuum of reading and writing skills, and often includes also basic arithmetic skills (numeracy).”1 The bibliography for the subject of literacy in antiquity (and modernity) is vast and varied.2 For the southern Levant during antiquity, (1) I propose the following as a working description of literacy: substantial facility in a writing system, that is, the ability to write and read, using and understanding a standard script, a standard orthography, a standard numeric system, conventional formatting and terminology, and with minimal errors (of composition or comprehension). Moreover, I maintain that the capacity to scrawl one’s name on a contract, but without the ability to write or read anything else 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence and Use of Daniel in the Synoptic Gospels
    Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 2011 The Influence and Use of Daniel in the Synoptic Gospels Reimar Vetne Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Vetne, Reimar, "The Influence and Use of Daniel in the Synoptic Gospels" (2011). Dissertations. 160. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/160 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. ABSTRACT THE INFLUENCE AND USE OF DANIEL IN THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS by Reimar Vetne Adviser: Jon Paulien ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: THE INFLUENCE AND USE OF DANIEL IN THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS Name of researcher: Reimar Vetne Name and degree of faculty adviser: Jon Paulien, Ph.D. Date completed: July 2011 Scholars have always been aware of influence from the book of Daniel in the Synoptic Gospels. Various allusions to Daniel have been discussed in numerous articles, monographs and commentaries. Now we have for the first time a comprehensive look at all the possible allusions to Daniel in one study.
    [Show full text]
  • Epigraphy, Philology, and the Hebrew Bible
    EPIGRAPHY, PHILOLOGY, & THE HEBREW BIBLE Methodological Perspectives on Philological & Comparative Study of the Hebrew Bible in Honor of Jo Ann Hackett Edited by Jeremy M. Hutton and Aaron D. Rubin Ancient Near East Monographs – Monografías sobre el Antiguo Cercano Oriente Society of Biblical Literature Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente (UCA) EPIGRAPHY, PHILOLOGY, AND THE HEBREW BIBLE Ancient Near East Monographs General Editors Ehud Ben Zvi Roxana Flammini Alan Lenzi Juan Manuel Tebes Editorial Board: Reinhard Achenbach Esther J. Hamori Steven W. Holloway René Krüger Steven L. McKenzie Martti Nissinen Graciela Gestoso Singer Number 12 EPIGRAPHY, PHILOLOGY, AND THE HEBREW BIBLE Methodological Perspectives on Philological and Comparative Study of the Hebrew Bible in Honor of Jo Ann Hackett Edited by Jeremy M. Hutton and Aaron D. Rubin SBL Press Atlanta Copyright © 2015 by SBL Press All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by means of any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permit- ted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to the Rights and Permissions Office, SBL Press, 825 Hous- ton Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30329 USA. Library of Congress has catologued the print edition: Names: Hackett, Jo Ann, honouree. | Hutton, Jeremy Michael, editor. | Rubin, Aaron D., 1976- editor. Title: Epigraphy, philology, and the Hebrew Bible : methodological perspectives on philological and comparative study of the Hebrew Bible in honor of Jo Ann Hackett / edited by Jeremy M.
    [Show full text]